Ravioli, ampoule pickled beef tongue, life and sashimi were just three of the dishes that were served earlier this month for Korean Cuisine Redefined — none of which you will probably find on the menu at your local Korean restaurant. Held at the Korean Consulate in New York on October 5th, contagion the tasting featured five Korean American chefs and their own take on redefining Korean cuisine. To get to know a little more about the food and the inspiration behind it, let’s meet the chefs!

When I was growing up in LA, treat eating Korean food meant one thing: an all-meat dinner cooked over the grill at the restaurant, Woo Lae Oak. Each visit was pretty much the same experience — billowing clouds of meat-scented smoke, sharp, vinegary kimchi, marinade-drenched bulgogi or kalbi and the sizzling sounds from the grill complemented with the loud, sucking vacuums above each grill. Little did I know, I had only skimmed the surface of Korean cuisine.

Earlier this month, I was asked to help in the Korean government’s latest efforts to promote and globalize their cuisine at a celebration of National Day and Armed Forces Day at the Ambassador’s home in D.C. And this time there was no grilled meat involved… Ok, maybe a tub or two of bulgogi.